The Best Southern Novels of All Time

[SGB]

Read The Help a few weeks ago and loved it. Didn't want it to end. Takes place in Mississippi.

 

[Poodleone]

Have you tried Faulkner's The Unvanquished? That was the first Faulkner I read that made any sense at all to me, and it was thigh-sapping ilsarious in parts. I finally got what people meant by "Faulknerian humor." Once I gained access to Faulkner through that book, the other works were much more meaningful and mind-blowingly fantastic at more levels than I can yet name.

Must have been a Yankee who trashed TKAM. ;-0

Thanks for the recommendation- I am willing to give him another try!

 

[Smiling JOe]

I couldn't help but notice the lack of number of voters for these books. Seriously, the top ranked book received only 120 votes. I have not read all of these, and haven't even heard of a couple, but I'll check them out.

 

[Jdarg]

I couldn't help but notice the lack of number of voters for these books. Seriously, the top ranked book received only 120 votes. I have not read all of these, and haven't even heard of a couple, but I'll check them out.

It wasn't a public vote- there were 134 judges- scholars, authors, students.....their bios are kind of fun reading (maybe I am strange, but a college lit professor is high up on my list of cool professions!)

Oxford American - The Southern Magazine of Good Writing :: Southern Lit Poll: Meet Our Judges

Overall, I thought the list had quite a wide range, and many that I have not read. I do love that so many of our American classics are on this list- the southern genre has contributed so much to American lit.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Well, that makes sense. I wondered why there were such low numbers. Amazing that Toole made #12, and even more incredible is the fact that he almost was never published, since no one wanted to publish a dead author. That is a story in itself.

SWGB, if you don't like reading long descriptive sentences, you might want the cliff notes version of A Confederacy of Dunces. It does make for some slow reading.

 

[BeachbumAggie]

I have read about half of Confed of Dunces and am struggling. I've worked Adult Protective Services for 11 years and he just seems like a pain in the @$$ client who verbally abuses and financially exploits his mamma. I keep thinking that I've had clients a lot like him!

 

[Desso]

The Neon Bible, written by Toole when he was 15, is an interesting book. I was amazed at his insightful observations and ability to create a Southern Gothic edge at such a young age. Love Gena Rowlands, but skip the movie.

 

[BeachbumAggie]

The guy @ Half Price Books said he had another book; I'll look for this one.

 

[Gidget]

Oh my! And we haven't met! We need to fix that soon!

I have read it several times and even once aloud to the entire family night after night complete with accents for all characters. My boys laughed and laughed.

We are constantly quoting from it "minimal wage" "whoa" "communiss"

Did you read the book called Ignatius Rising about the author?
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Ignatius-Rising-Life-Kennedy-Toole/dp/0807130591]Amazon.com: Ignatius Rising: The Life Of John Kennedy Toole (9780807130599): Rene Pol Nevils, Deborah George Hardy: Books[/ame]

Well worth it but very sad

G